Trainer Ross Olivieri
Ace trainer Ross Olivieri predicts the sky is the limit for Victorian-bred six-year-old Dynamite Dude and is bubbling with confidence that the gelding will bow out a winner in the $25,000 Mulberry Estate Autumn Championship at Gloucester Park on Friday night before being sent for a well-deserved spell.
Olivieri has formulated big and ambitious plans for Dynamite Dude, declaring the gelding has the ideal make-up and the ability to be a major player in the $1.8 million TABtouch Interdominion Championship in Perth next November and December.
Dynamite Dude has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier on Friday night and Chris Lewis looks set to attempt an all-the-way victory over the 2130m journey.
Lewis landed the Olivieri-trained Sensational Gabby a brilliant all-the-way winner of the $50,000 Empress Stakes last Friday night, but he looks certain to opt to drive Dynamite Dude in preference to Sensational Gabby, who will start out wide at barrier six on the front line. Chris Voak appeals as the likely replacement driver behind Sensational Gabby.
Olivieri revealed that he had planned to send Dynamite Dude for a spell after his strong, hard-working victory off 20m in a 2503m stand last Friday week.
“He dug very deep to win that race and that’s why I didn’t run him the following week,”Olivieri said. “I was going to tip him out, but he was bouncing around in the paddock so well after his latest race that I thought I would roll the dice one more time. However, I’m going to tip him out after this run, win, lose or draw.”
Some punters reckon that Dynamite Dude is simply a standing-start specialist, and with good reason, considering that he has had nine starts in stands for Olivieri in Western Australia for nine wins, while he has won only twice from his eight runs in mobiles in this State.
Olivieri scoffed at this perception, explaining that Dynamite Dude had drawn the front line only once in his eight starts in mobiles.
“Dynamite Dude gets away smartly in mobiles,” Olivieri said. “He’s not lightning, but is quick enough to hold his ground. He has been in a mobile trial at Pinjarra in which he drew one and was able to lead comfortably and win. He’s got enough gate speed and I am expecting him to hold up.
“Pacific Warrior is going very well, but from barrier five he’ll have to do some work and I think that any horse will have to worry if he races outside Dude. You know that Dynamite Dude is not going to toss the towel in.
“Looking at the Interdominion series, I think he’s the sort of horse who will be suited by the three heats and final in the space of a fortnight. I think he’s got more improvement in him and once you get him fit you don’t have to work him too much between races. Just line up --- he’s got the constitution and toughness to stand up to this type of series racing.”
Dynamite Dude showed that he is up to racing in top company two starts ago when he raced three back on the pegs and was badly hampered for room in the closing stages before getting a late split and charging home to finish third behind David Hercules and Pacific Warrior in the West Australian heat of the Interdominion Championship at Gloucester Park two starts ago.
Since that event Pacific Warrior has performed in terrific fashion for Mt Helena trainer Ray Williams and reinsman Kade Howson, pacing boldly to win impressively the $50,000 RWWA Cup over 2130m and the $25,000 Governor’s Cup over 1730m.
Howson said that this Friday night’s event looked a really good race and that Pacific Warrior was poised for a bold showing and had excellent prospects of notching a hat-trick of feature wins.
“Ray (Williams) has got him flying at the moment and I can’t see why he can’t keep on winning,” he said. “Ray is happy the way he pulled up after last week’s win and reckons he will be just as good again. Pacific Warrior has become more versatile and gets around the track better, which makes him easier to drive. Before, he was a little bit one-dimensional.”
Trainer Gary Hall sen. said that wide draws had made things very tough for Northview Punter at his past two outings, when third and ninth behind Pacific Warrior. He is reasonably pleased with barrier three on the front line this week, saying: “If he leads he will win, but if he doesn’t lead it will be very hard.”
Hall has won the Autumn Championship once, when his son Clint drove Out To Kill to victory in 2007. Lewis has won the race twice, with Tee pee Village in 2009 and Mysta Magical Mach in 2013.